"Vision (Let Me Breathe)" [ft. Jessie Ware]

Joker's first single from his upcoming full-length sounds like a response to dubstep's rising profile and its insider culture war. Britney Spears, Max Martin, and Dr. Luke's "Hold It Against Me" took the sound to the American Top 40, while post-dubstep producers have moved on, wary of being associated with that middling, populist form of the music. So Joker has whipped up some sophisticated, dubstep pop that also teases big, dumb "bro-step" sounds because, well, beat-drops and wobble bass are still pretty awesome.

But "Vision (Let Me Breathe)" is hardly a brash grab for a hit: Sure the BPMs are a little higher, and it does feature vocals (as well as a pop single-like fade-out), but video game glitches dance through the whole thing, and it's dominated by a doomy, regal synth line. Jessie Ware, known for subtler performances on "Nervous" (with SBTRKT) and "Valentine" (with Sampha), really sells her vocal here (probably a little too much actually), which is bold and certainly unexpected, giving "Vision" a feeling distinctive to UK pop, where sheer vocal talent actually remains an asset. Maybe everything on the radio will sound like this in 10 years. You ready?